Simplify Your Wardrobe

Do you ever stand in front of your clothes wondering what clothes to wear?

Do you find yourself mixing and matching colors, wondering if a certain color goes with another?

Does even the thought of getting dressed, cause you stress? I am here to tell you it should not.

How do you view your clothes? Do they define who you are? Are they a status symbol? What if you viewed clothes as simply something to wear?

• We all have dreams of what we want to look like.
• We see a picture in a magazine and think “I will look like that someday” (or dream that we will).
• We see a manikin with an outfit on and think “I want that outfit” – yet when we try it on, it looks like anything but.
• We dream of having a different life – one where we WOULD be wearing all the clothes we dream of wearing.

Then reality hits.

It is just a materialistic dream.

1. Find your core color. What is that you ask?

·         Blonde hair and blue eyes – Navy

·         Dark hair and brown eyes – Black

·         Dark hair and blue or green eyes – Black or Navy

·         Red hair – Brown

2. Buy clothing that coordinates ONLY with your core color. For example, I am blonde hair and hazeled eyed (according to my driver’s license). Therefore, my core color is navy. When I discovered this core color idea, I went through my closet and decided if it was worth getting rid of all of the clothing that did not coordinate with navy. I realized that I often wore black pants. That put me in a dilemma. I quickly realized that some colors went with black and navy and some did not. Some hues of purple did not go with both – so out went the purple shirts. The next time you go shopping, ask yourself if the clothing item coordinates with your core color?3. Pick a clothing style that is YOU. Do not spend time trying to keep up with the trends. As soon as you buy that new shirt, know that in a few months it will probably go out of style because the store will have a new line of clothing in. Don’t waste your time or money. By picking a style, you save yourself so much time – no decisions need to be made as to “who” you want to be that day. When you pick a clothing style that is comfortable and is you, you narrow down the choices when shopping and getting dressed.

4. Everything coordinated? If you enjoy coordinating every accessory, more power to you. In trying to live with less, having matching accessories may not be at the top of the list. Some have a different colored purse for every outfit they own. In doing this, think about how much time is spent switching purses? Is it worth the space they take up? Is it worth the decision every morning? What about shoes? How many pairs do you need? Maybe some dressier and some casual. I steer clear of the colored shoes because I know they will only add choices (which I am trying to lessen) and add clutter to my closet.

Something to remember: no one has the same wardrobe – so why do we spend so much time trying to look like OTHER people? We see a cute outfit on someone and automatically we have cloth envy. We are trying to imitate others, instead of being ourselves.

It has taken me some time to work through these concepts. What am I most comfortable in? The clothes I have, do I own because I am trying to look like someone else? My body shape is unique to me – no one else looks like me. So why not try to be myself?

I enjoy comfortable clothes. I enjoy my thrift store purchases. I need to keep going through my clothes, but if they are not “me,” I should not own them. I want to keep creating my own style because it is ME, I want to be.